Abstract

The polycrystalline films LiNbO3 on the substrates (001) Si with the spontaneous orientation of grains are developed by the ion-beam sputtering method. The mechanisms of conductivity in the interval of temperatures T = 90–400 K are investigated by the method of the current–voltage characteristics. The initial site of the current–voltage characteristics is defined by the properties of contact Si-LiNbO3 and is described within the framework of Fowler–Nordheim tunneling and Richardson–Schottky emission. At the high voltage, the conductivity is defined by the volume of the film LiNbO3 and is described by the thermo-assisted tunneling of the electrons through the intercrystalline barriers with the height φb = 0.7 eV. The parameters of the traps presented in the band gap of LiNbO3 are defined.